Microsoft will let loose a new operating system, Windows Cloud, at the company’s annual developer conference later this month.

Boss Steve Ballmer announced Redmond’s plans at a Software plus Services partner event in London this lunchtime.

He playfully gave the OS the temporary name of Windows Cloud. Apparently, we’ll learn more from Microsoft about the platform at the Professional Developers Conference in Los Angeles, which takes place at the end of October.

“We need a new operating system designed for the cloud and we will introduce one in about four weeks, we’ll even have a name to give you by then. But let’s just call it for the purposes of today ‘Windows Cloud’,” said Ballmer.

“Just like Windows Server looked a lot like Windows but with new properties, new characteristics and new features, so will Windows Cloud look a lot like Windows Server.”

Ballmer also hinted at what would be built into the new OS, including geo replication, how to design apps intended to commingle [we think he means appeasing regulators by providing more interoperability], management modelling and an SOA model, to effectively create a new platform.

“We’re not driving an agenda towards being service providers but we’ve gotta build a service that is Windows in the cloud,” admitted Ballmer.

He also hit out at internet kingpin and pesky rival Google.

“If you talk to Google they’ll say it's thin client computing but then they’ll issue a new browser that’s basically a big fat operating system designed to compete with Windows but running on top of it,” he said.

“Steve Ballmer observation," machine gunned the fragrant CEO.

Ballmer also acknowledged that Midori - which many have speculated will be a post-Windows operating system from MS - lives, at least in incubation form, that is.

The firm has no plans to bring Midori to market - yet. It's merely a research project, he added.

"Our big problem is there’s just no secret that gets kept in Microsoft. The guy in the office next door to somebody working on Midori is not supposed to know about Midori," he said. "The last thing we want is for somebody else to obsolete us, if we’re gonna get obseleted [sic] we better do it to ourselves." ®